Fancy candy edible stickers

ABSTRACT

An improved candy that uses icing papers in its manufacturing method to create pictures/designs that may be eaten or attached to a surface in the manner of a sticker. The process includes four distinct layers. The first, or base, layer is a polyester film with a food grade silicon (or vegetable oil, syrup or honey) coating printed thereon by silk screen or automatic coating machine to form a second layer. The third layer is candy paste (or icing) with a thickness of between 0.2 mm and 1.2 mm. The candy paste layer is easily detachable from the first and second layers. A fourth layer, made from edible colors, is printed on the candy paste layer by silk screen or pad printing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/540,136 for “FANCY CANDY EDIBLE STICKERS”; Filed: Jan. 28, 2004; Inventor: Hok Lin Man.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to candy, and more particularly, to candy that uses icing papers in its manufacturing method to create pictures/designs that may be eaten or attached to a surface in the manner of a sticker.

2. Description of the Background

The candy industry is an important segment of the retail food industry. Children are the primary customers for purchasing candy and as such are the target market. In 2002, the estimated total retail sales for candy was $24.3 billion dollars, with sales peaking at Easter, Halloween, Valentine's Day, and the winter holidays. [Candy USA.] In 1997, in a 19 billion dollar candy and gum market, children's influence was thirty five percent or 6.7 billion dollars. [The Kid's Market: Myths and Realities, James U. McNeal, Ph.D.] At twenty-four months, children make their first in-store requests for purchases to parents and by age four or five, they learn to make their own purchases. Id. With children's demand for candy strong and growing, manufacturers look to innovative methods of marketing, presenting, packaging, and manufacturing. Some candy manufacturers have used creative television advertising, tie-ins to breakfast cereals and other give-aways, and tie-ins to toys, such as the ring-pop, candy jewelry, candy games, etc. The prior art is replete with candy flavored attachments to cakes, cards and toys. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,863 to Novotny discloses a confectionary guessing game, comprising one or more edible pieces containing a flavorant material. A removable obscuring layer such as a peelable strip covers a flavor identifying code. The confectionary pieces are secured to a strip by an edible adhesive. Additional examples are as follows.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,394 to MacPherson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,404 to Garcia, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,958 to Stewart each show variations of methods of transferring edible shapes and images to decorate foodstuffs, using a silk screen or edible film method of transfer. Other prior art patents show edible confections in different contexts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,682 to Tsukioka shows a hot stamp material for hot-stamping food that includes an inner release layer, an intermediate layer and an outer adhesive layer composed of edible material. U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,353 to Shulman, et al. discloses a clear film coating for edible substrates that provides a glossy sheen to the substrate. Morgan's Patent Application No. 20030215593 filed Nov. 20, 2003 discloses an edible temporary tattoo in which a flavored ink-based image is releasably printed onto a substrate for transferring to the skin.

However, no single prior art apparatus, or combination of two or more, anticipates or suggests a candy that uses icing papers in its manufacturing method to create pictures that may be eaten or attached to a surface in the manner of a sticker. To the best of the knowledge of the present inventor, a fancy candy as an edible sticker does not exist. Therefore, a need exists for an improved economical fancy candy edible sticker encompassing this combination of characteristics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved candy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved candy that readily attaches to a surface in the manner of a sticker or stick-on.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved candy that can easily be formed in different shapes, sizes and patterns.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved candy of various colors and flavors.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved candy that is attractive to children.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved candy that can be eaten or used like a sticker, and yet is thick enough to maintain its integrity.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved candy that is economical to manufacture and sell.

These and other objects are accomplished by an improved candy edible sticker that uses icing paper in its manufacturing process to create pictures/designs that can be eaten and/or used like a sticker or stick-on, which can be adhered to surfaces, such as paper, clothing, etc. The present invention generally comprises three or four distinct layers of polyester film, food grade silicon (or vegetable oil, syrup, or honey) coating, candy paste printed by silk screen or mold injection, and optional edible color printed by silk screen or pad printing. The size, shape, patterns, colors, and flavors are varied to create a variety of candy, pleasing to the eye and palate. The present invention's design is simple and straightforward, and can be economically manufactured and sold. In use, the improved candy edible sticker of the present invention may be applied to paper, plastic, metallic and ceramic wares, wood, clothing, glass, and other suitable smooth surfaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and certain modifications thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a fancy candy edible sticker 5 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the fancy candy edible sticker 5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a fancy candy edible sticker 5 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of the method of manufacturing the fancy candy edible sticker of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2 are, respectively, side and top perspective views of a fancy candy edible sticker 5 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The fancy candy edible sticker 5 incorporates a multi-layered, multi-material construction and generally comprises a base film layer 10, a second layer of food grade release coating 20 (which may consist of food grade silicon, vegetable oil, syrup, or honey), a third layer of candy paste 30, and an optional fourth layer of food grade coloring 40.

In accordance with the present invention, the layer of film or base paper 10 may be any commercially available, conventional polyester or plastic film capable of supporting the additional steps of the manufacturing process (e.g. application of the layers of silicon coating 20 and candy paste 30).

The layer of coating 20 is also food grade, i.e., edible, and may consist of food grade silicon, vegetable oil, syrup, or honey. The coating layer 20 is printed on the base layer 10 by silk screen or automatic coating machine. Silk screen is a stencil process of printing in which an image is imposed on a screen of silk or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance, and ink, or other printing material (in the present invention, food grade silicon) is forced through the mesh and on to the printing surface. A conventional automatic coating machine, on the other hand, coats edible release materials 20 to the base material.

The third layer of candy paste 30 has a thickness of 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm to maintain its integrity. The polyester film base layer 10 and the food grade silicon coating second layer 20 adhere tightly to each other, allowing the candy paste layer 30 to readily detach from the combined base and second layer. Coloring and flavoring are mixed into the candy paste layer 30 to provide a variety of different colors and flavors to the confection. Different shapes and patterns are also printed in the candy paste layer 30 to eliminate the need for die cutting. Candy paste layer 30 is the edible underbase for the Edible Candy Dticker, and is printed by silk screen or gravure. The printed paste, plus anything printed over it, represents the entire sticker, so there is no need to die cut the material. The backing film remains intact to hold the stickers until they are removed and used.

The third layer 30 is a candy paste (or icing), and specific concentrations of the following exemplary ingredients are presently preferred:

an edible starch, such as vegetable, wheat, corn, potato, etc.;

protein powder to add strength and elasticity;

sweetener, such as sugar or glucose;

and other additives and flavoring.

Although color may be included in the candy paste layer 30, a design that contains multiple colors may be accomplished by applying the color printing process separately from applying the candy paste layer 30. The first step in this two step process is to apply a white or pastel candy paste layer 30 to create shapes of the designs. A fourth layer 40, made from edible colors is then printed on the candy paste layer 30 by a 4-color process printing, such as silk screen or pad printing. This edible color fourth layer 40 adds color to the designs of the white candy paste layer 30.

The fancy candy edible sticker of the present invention may be affixed to an application surface by separating the base layer of film 10 from the rest of the layers 20-40 (i.e., second layer of food grade silicon coating 20, third layer of candy paste 30, and optional fourth layer of edible color 40).

With respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, as is readily perceived in the foregoing description, the design of the fancy candy edible sticker 5 utilizes edible materials, is simple and straightforward, and may be economically manufactured and sold. The flexible design and construction (i.e. dimensions, configuration) of the fancy candy edible sticker 5 allows for its use in a wide variety of applications such as fun candy, decorations, party favors, and the like. The fancy candy edible sticker of the present invention may be eaten and/or applied to paper, plastic, metallic and ceramic wares, wood, clothing, glass, and other similar smooth surfaces.

Another embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the fourth layer of edible color is not applied.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram of the method of manufacture of the present invention is shown. At Step 100, a base layer of polyester film is created. A second layer of food grade silicon coating is printed on said base layer at Step 200 by silk screen or automatic coating machine. A candy paste third layer is printed on said second layer at Step 300 by silk screen or mold injection. The current method ends at 410 unless, at 310, it is determined that multiple raised colors are required. If so, a fourth layer of edible colors is applied by silk screen or pad printing at Step 400 before the process concludes at 410.

Innovative methods of marketing, presenting, packaging, and manufacturing candy for children has brought about a wide variety of candy or candy flavored items, such as the ring-pop, candy jewelry, candy games, candy toys, and candy attachments to cakes, cards and toys. However, the candy edible sticker of the present invention uses icing paper in its manufacturing process to create pictures that can be eaten and/or used like a sticker or stick-on, and which can be adhered to surfaces, such as paper, clothing, etc. The three or four distinct layers of polyester film, food grade silicon (or vegetable oil, syrup, or honey) coating, candy paste printed by silk screen or mold injection, and optional edible color printed by silk screen or pad printing allows the sticker to adhere to a surface before the child (or adult) eats the candy from the top layers.

Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiment and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth in the appended claims. 

1. A fancy candy edible sticker, comprising: a base layer of plastic film, wax paper or OPP film; a second layer comprising any one from among the group of food grade silicon, vegetable oil, syrup, or honey coating, on top of said base layer; and a third layer of candy paste on top of said second layer of silicon coating.
 2. The fancy candy edible sticker according to claim 1 also including a fourth layer of edible colors on top of said third layer.
 3. The fancy candy edible sticker according to claim 2 wherein said fourth layer is applied by a silk screen process.
 4. The fancy candy edible sticker according to claim 2 wherein said fourth layer is applied by a pad printing process.
 5. The fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 1 wherein said third layer of candy paste is between 0.2 mm and 1.2 mm.
 6. The fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 1 wherein said third layer comprises coloring and flavoring.
 7. The fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 1 wherein said candy paste comprises an edible starch, a sweetener such as glucose or sugar, protein powder, additives, and flavoring.
 8. The fancy candy edible sticker according to claim 1 wherein said second layer is applied by a silk screen process.
 9. The fancy candy edible sticker according to claim 1 wherein said second layer is applied by an automatic coating machine.
 10. The fancy candy edible sticker according to claim 1 wherein said base layer of plastic film is polyester, wax paper or OPP film.
 11. A method of manufacturing fancy candy edible stickers comprising the steps of: applying a base layer of polyester or other plastic film; applying a second layer of food grade silicon (or vegetable oil, syrup or honey) coating to said layer of polyester or other plastic film; and applying a third layer of candy paste to said second layer of food grade coating.
 12. The method of manufacturing fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 11, also comprising the step of applying a fourth layer of edible colors to the third layer by 4-color process printing.
 13. The method of manufacturing fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 12 wherein said fourth layer is applied by a silk screening process.
 14. The method of manufacturing fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 12 wherein said fourth layer is applied by a pad printing process.
 15. The method of manufacturing fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 11 wherein said second layer is applied by a silk screening process.
 16. The method of manufacturing fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 11 wherein said second layer is applied by an automatic coating machine.
 17. The method of manufacturing fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 11 wherein said third layer of candy paste is between 0.2 mm and 1.2 mm.
 18. The method of manufacturing fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 11 wherein colors and flavors are mixed into said third layer.
 19. The method of manufacturing fancy candy edible stickers according to claim 11 wherein said candy paste comprises an edible starch, a sweetener such as glucose or sugar, protein powder, additives, and flavoring. 